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Chapters (47)
  1. Copyright Notice
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. TUESDAY EVENING
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. WEDNESDAY MORNING
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. MIDDAY
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. EVENING
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. SUNDAY
  41. EPILOGUE
  42. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  43. GoFish: Questions for the Author
  44. Excerpt: Travelers Along the Way
  45. CHAPTER ONE
  46. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  47. Newsletter Sign-up

There was a crack and then dread—furious and intense.

There’s no way that hadn’t stung, because Daniella’s palm stung. A numbness overcame Daniella. Shame, hate, fear, anger all washed through her. A knowledge that she had become her mother. It consumed her until she wanted to crumple, to fall.

Daniella had never slapped another person in her entire life. Oh, she’d fought. Had just stomped on the toe of an overly handsy creep. But she hadn’t ever actually slapped someone—just to get another person to shut their damned mouth.

Rinn stared at Daniella like she couldn’t believe it.

Daniella couldn’t believe it, either.

Then Rinn held her hand up to her face, wincing as skin came in contact with skin.

Daniella could see the red handprint forming, as if by magic, across Rinn’s face.

Neither one of them moved. Neither one of them spoke. It was as if neither knew where to go from there. They were in some strange and unknown land. The rules were different. And what those rules were, well, that was either of their guesses.

19

Heart, We Will Forget Him

1:11 P.M.

Rinn

For a moment, Rinn flexed and tensed—ready to hit back, to step forward and fight. But then she saw the way Daniella had crumpled. It was her face, first. Then the weight in her entire body gave way. And then, Daniella had gotten back up, dusted off her knees, only to turn and flee, leaving Rinn alone in the office.

Rinn had never felt more like she’d gotten it all so terribly wrong. That image of Daniella’s crumpled face haunted her. Would possibly always haunt her.

Rinn realized she was still touching her face. She pulled her hand away, then touched back on her cheek. She winced. She was going to have a red mark there, Rinn was sure. Rinn wondered—almost as though she were outside of herself, looking on—if the red mark would be in the shape of a hand or not.

She hoped not.

Rinn took a deep breath. She exhaled. That’s what all of those online meditation videos told her to do. The ones the school counselor had told her to watch. Something about finding mindfulness with breathing. Finding your body and rooting yourself into the present by paying attention to the rhythm of oxygen in and oxygen out of your body. Rinn still felt all the tension rolling around in her stomach, but the deep breath did help. Did allow her to relax her shoulders, get her stance to loosen, get her mind to pull away from fight-or-flight mode. Rinn took a deep breath and decided—against her impulse to avoid—to go after Daniella.